A pond full of blooming flowers, an ultimate addiction.

"Sister? Why are you back?" Yu Shuli was waiting in the dressing room to arrive at the scene as soon as possible.

"He didn't even come to change his clothes." Yu Qingcheng pretended to breathe a sigh of relief, making Yu Shuli realize her tension.

“No way, Guo Qianfeng said he watched him go in.” Yu Shuli was certain that Guo Qianfeng wouldn’t lie to her; there was only one possibility: Chi Ruiche had discovered something.

"Let's go, it's time for the toasts." Yu Qingcheng wasn't going to waste any more time.

Yu Shuli pulled Yu Qingcheng back to their seats, her heart filled with ulterior motives, and cleared her throat: "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Let's toast." Seeing that everyone was present, Lu Haoyi went to toast the birthday celebrant, except for Guo Anyue who was not supposed to drink. The old man had also drunk quite a bit, and by the time they arrived, he was already somewhat drunk.

"grandfather."

"Old Yu."

The elderly man happily clinked glasses with them. After the ceremony, everyone else went home, while Yu Shuli walked behind to continue discussing things with Yu Qingcheng.

At this moment, Yu Shuli's father, Yu Yuan'an, who was drunk, staggered over, holding a wine glass and wanting to toast them one by one: "Young talents, these are the future of Xijing." His words were heavily slurred with intoxication, and he could barely stand.

"Dad, you've had too much to drink," Yu Shuli said softly.

"I didn't," Yu Yuan'an waved his hand. "Xiao Che, our Qingcheng is a good girl." Well, this is just him using drunkenness to stir up trouble.

Yu Shuli knew her previous plan had failed, so now she was going to stir things up. "Dad, you're absolutely right."

Chi Ruiche remained calm despite witnessing the underhanded tactics employed throughout the night. As soon as he entered the room, he smelled a strange odor, held his breath, and left the room.

Jiang Yang wanted to see how Chi Ruiche would respond, as he was now representing the Chi family.

"Third Uncle, stop talking." Yu Qingcheng realized that Chi Ruiche exuded a cold aura, and this man disdained such tricks.

"Oh dear, my niece is shy." Yu Yuan'an patted his big belly and moved to the table next to him.

Chi Ruiche spoke softly, his tone icy: "Miss Yu, the Yu family has always been good at educating children, and Miss Yu is also well-educated and polite."

Yu Qingcheng was taken aback and didn't know how to speak, so she suppressed her smile and said, "President Chi."

"Please tell the Yu family that they have always been well-mannered. If they are not, I don't mind helping them." Chi Ruiche's sharp gaze swept over her as if it carried the aura of a sword. Yu Qingcheng subconsciously avoided his eyes, and she even felt a chill engulf her from the inside out.

Lu Haoyi watched as Yu Qingcheng's face turned from red to pale. He didn't know what the two were talking about, but Miss Yu's expression was not good, as if she was frightened and had lost face.

Jiang Yang and Lü Haotian were quite satisfied with the expression on the most beautiful woman's face. "Let's go upstairs."

The second floor was a lounge area prepared by the Yu family for those attending the banquet. Unlike the formal main hall, the second floor was more relaxed. Exquisite pastries and specially crafted cocktails were served. Many young people were dancing the waltz to music. There was an unwritten rule for attending such events: one could not leave until after 10 PM; otherwise, it was considered disrespectful to the hosts.

Chi Ruiche had no interest in any of this. He and Jiang Yang found a room and sat down. As they sat down, a waiter brought out a tray with various kinds of drinks on it.

Wang Ruozhi had expected Jiang Yang to invite her to dance, but he only told her to watch, which disappointed her a little.

Seeing that Wang Ruozhi remained silent, Jiang Yang didn't ask any more questions, assuming that it was best not to guess what a girl was thinking, but he did give her a piece of cheesecake.

"Big brother, you've hurt Miss Yu." Lu Haotian pretended to be indignant, but in reality, he was watching the drama unfold with amusement.

Once upstairs, Yu Shuli pulled Yu Qingcheng to sit in another room. Yu Qingcheng, recalling Chi Ruiche's earlier words, felt mostly anger. She, the dignified eldest daughter of the Yu family, had lowered herself, yet Chi Ruiche completely ignored it.

Chi Ruiche stared at the cheesecake, recalling Jiang Yi's little expression when she ate it, which resembled that of a hamster.

"Fine, he's completely ignoring me." Lü Haotian shrugged and patted Jiang Yang.

Liu Shiya and Wang Ruozhi had met a few times and quickly became close. Girls' friendships develop very quickly; a piece of clothing is enough. She completely disdained to participate in their group.

"Be gentle with girls," Lü Haotian advised, sounding like a seasoned lover.

Chi Ruiche crossed his legs, leaned back in his chair, and put one hand in his pocket, holding his phone.

"It's a pity that the falling flowers are willing but the flowing water is indifferent." Lu Haotian pretended to be indifferent. Of course, he knew that Yu Qingcheng would never be interested in him, a Lu second young master with no real power or shares.

"Mr. Chi, why didn't you bring Miss Liang this time? She even came to my office to pick out an evening gown that suited her perfectly." Liu Shiya remembered Liang Simin's confident expression that day, clearly preparing for today. "You two broke up?"

"I don't remember ever saying we were dating." Because of Liang Simin's father, Chi Ruiche had attended a banquet with her once.

"That's how Liang Simin always refers to herself, so I assumed you accepted it." Liu Shiya met her twice: once at the spa with her friends, and the second time when she came to choose a dress. Each time, she deliberately emphasized the words "Chi Ruiche's girlfriend."

Chi Ruiche sent a message to Lin Kai. He hadn't cared before, but now that he had a child, he needed to be careful about these rumors.

"Abu doesn't really like these kinds of occasions." Jiang Yang was also puzzled, as Abu was always there for these kinds of events in the past.

Lü Haotian laughed heartily, observing Chi Ruiche as he chuckled: "He's going to Africa for an inspection and is expected to be back around the end of this month. Yang-ge, you didn't see Abu's sallow face; he must not be eating or sleeping well." Despite it being a pitiful situation, Lü Haotian mercilessly mocked him.

"Did he offend Xiao Che?" Jiang Yang knew with his toes that Abu must have done something to be betrayed by Chi Ruiche. He had heard that Abu had broken a cup and was sent to the Northeast to accompany a client. The outdoor temperature was below minus twenty degrees Celsius. The client loved to see ice sculptures. Abu accompanied him for an hour. The client had prepared all the necessary cold-weather gear in advance, but Abu didn't even have gloves or a scarf. He was frozen red and stiff.

"It's for work." Chi Ruiche was blatantly lying, making it sound perfectly normal for him to use his position to settle personal scores.

"He's really good at pretending, not even blushing or skipping a beat," Jiang Yang muttered to himself.

"Is Abu Matsushita Yube?" Wang Ruozhi was very happy to officially join Jiang Yang's circle of friends. She felt that this was a recognition, different from the recognition from her parents.

“Yes.” Jiang Yang nodded.

Lu Haotian glanced at the time; it was exactly ten o'clock. "Let's go." The mission was complete, and he didn't want to stay a minute longer. Lu Haotian draped his coat over Liu Shiya's shoulders.

Watching the two of them get along, it would be a lie to say Wang Ruozhi wasn't envious. It wasn't that Jiang Yang was bad, or that he was nice to everyone, like a central air conditioner. What she longed for was a unique love.